gonna have to second steffi on this one:

whilst i appreciate it was beneficial for you during your interview process, making a general sweeping statement that it is possible for all to visit Heathrow tower is likely not the best idea.

I dont know whether you had to wait a long time for the ID to be issued at the ID centre, but that can be an absolute pain at the best of times, even where the building is now by the Queens building. So when they imminently move it to Heathrow house which is miles away... exponentially worse. I remember the wait when i was getting my airside pass for work :ugh:

The amount of time it takes the person escorting the visitor as well, the length of the walk through the terminal is bad enough twice a day, let alone 4 times...

To alleviate any misconceptions, I dont have a problem with people visiting up here, I just think the strain it puts on the person dealing with them when they have loads of work on their plate already is unnecessary. By all means visit towers and centres during application, but maybe try and pick landside towers to keep it easy for everyone. If and when you get to college, I know my watch management are more than happy to welcome college visitors on weekend afternoon shifts, I myself was a beneficiary of this a while back. Also in terms of learning this may well be a better time to visit as you understand more of whats going on.

I appreciate when people think of a tower to visit, Heathrow is likely one of the first if you live in or around London. But its not as easy as your post seems to imply, far from it...

One and a half hours and a visit to three different ID centres later.........I finally got my temporary pass for Heathrow!!!

So I'll third that!:}

ATC Visit
 

Hi guys,

after failing the online personality test last year I have passed this year and been invited to a stage two interview:O. I have not visited an ATC centre, aerodrome or area, and don’t plan to until I get through my stage two. Prior to any stage three interviews, I would definitely visit at least two different centres.

Is this a mistake, should I go before my stage 2?

Briefly, my rationale is that I don’t feel the need to visit to know this is the choice for me, and from what I read, the stage two is predominantly HR as apposed to what you know about the job (stage three). I know I would find it useful, but don’t think it essential, will lead to me being even more depressed were I to fail this stage. :ugh:

Thanks in advance.

Shugs

Dont worry about a visit before stage 2. They wont ask you about it at the interview. The interview is about 50 quick fire questions about how you deal with certain situations. At stage 3 I got asked if I had visited a unit and luckily I managed to get a visit to Gatwick the day before so I had lots to talk about.

I was just pondering, i've recently failed my stage three exam will i have to endure all stages of this process all over again or am i permitted to advance through any stages?

If you don't do the visits, how do you know ATC is the job for you? I did a couple of visits before I even applied.

Hey SACrIGGER

I know what your saying, and don’t get me wrong I haven’t just stumbled upon NATS. I researched and read up about the job for more than a year before my initial application, and have used the year between applications to make sure it’s what I really want. I just wanted to make sure with regard to the application that at this stage it is not essential, i.e. am not going to be asked why I haven’t visited or attempted to visit, or am expected to have experiences about visiting a site. It was certainly my understanding from the ATC who spoke at stage one that NATS weren’t really bothered prior to stage three.

Like I say, once I get through stage two, I will attempt to visit at least two just to be finally sure.

Shugs

Well if your happy that's fine, I was leaving a career behind and so I really wanted to make sure that I was making the right decision, and finally 18 months after starting with NATS it was, apart from being in Wales, but that is another matter, which i'm sure quite alot of people on this thread know about!

Good luck with the rest of your application.

I am studying for stage 2 at the moment and the page of designators.... I am sure they are right but some seem so illogical?!
I would think EGGW would be Gatwick... but is Luton
And IL52 is an Ilyshin 62 ?!

Are these right and I am just thinking too much into it?

EGGW is certainly Luton, but an Ilyushin 62, according to ICAO Doc 8643, is IL62.

Well, only 3 days til my 2nd stage and have gone through the whole of this thread again since Friday!!:8

I'm actually feeling slightly and weirdly excited about the day!!!:ooh:

Anyone want to give me any last minute advice or confidence boosters, please feel free!!


I also called Swanwick to try and arrange a visit whilst I was down, seeing as I'm not going to be back down there until my 3rd stage interview:p, hopefully!! Unfortunately, I was told by HR that it is new policy that prospective students cannot visit until after they have passed their 2nd stage.:*

For the stage two interview are the questions to be answered using examples from your experiances eg "can u give me an example of when you have demostrated...or when you have shown...".
Or are they more along the lines of "what would you do in this situation?" where u simply have to answer theoretically.

I only ask because i'm worrying about my lack of good examples to demonstrate various skills.

I'm getting ahead of myself a bit as i've not even done stage one yet, but its just something thats been on my mind.

Hi roar00

if you look back at previous posts i am sure you will find some examples, but as far as i know, and i have not done my S2 yet, you are expected to give examples of when you have shown leadership or quick thinking etc etc.

You may be given hypothetical questions but only from an HR point of view (what would you do if you went to work and thought your boss was drunk) nothing theoretical with regard to actual ATC situations, that is more S3.

i am sure ppl who have actually done S2 will perhaps give bttr insight tho, as i am only repeating what has bn said previously on here.

shugs

Stage 2 is a structured interveiw, so is probably unlike any interview you have had before. It consists of a series of questions (around 50 if I remeber correctly) of which the interviewer is looking for a particular answer. Sometimes this could simply be a yes/no answer, such as "Are you a determined person?" Then you may get asked why, where you can start to elaborate, but generally the interviewer will stop you when they have the answer they require.

Stage 3 is when you get the chance to really show who you and elaborate to your hearts content!:}

Stage 3
 

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to know as my stage 3 is coming up next week, how many aircraft your expected to be learning.

Obvious answer being there's no such this as too much, but I've gone through the aircraft in the packs, some of it sticks, others don't (worrying somewhat with the career I'm pursuing!). has anyone got anyone got any tips to learn these effectively??

Also as I'm not coming dorectly from Uni or college, will I be looked on unfavourably in light of being slightly older and from essentially a dead end job for the past 7 years??

If you're not feeling confident about the aircraft it's worth making an effort- go through wikipedia for the long list in the first pack and make notes on what they are- twin engine long range widebody etc... There's lots of images and keep refelecting on the differences- Airbus and boeing use different winglets etc. There's a recognition quiz at !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Aircraft Recognition Quiz but don't get too obsessed with it- find where your weaknesses are- you should know the differences between all the different boeings. If you just can't get differences between 737s and a320s then don't worry too much! You might get recognition questions, you might not (I didn't!) but it's worth being confident so that you don't stumble over any you get.

For the seven years- make sure you can explain why you've stuck at it and have good examples from it- teamwork etc, don't be negative about it. They will ask about this- they wanted to know why I'd done an English degree rather than something more science or theory based. Good luck!

Following on… I just got the Yes email! I just thought I’d share my experience and add to the mass of information here that’s helped me out a lot. I’ve got through first time round and it has taken two months. I’ll try and break down the stages and explain a few things I found beneficial without repeating all the previous posts too much!

Stage one-

The SHL practice data checking questions are great practice. Do it a few times and you will speed up.

For the cubes- instead of trying to visualise the whole thing I concentrated on a specific side. Each side has a different pattern, and from what I remember there is always a black triangle (or inverted) on one side. For each net I figured out what the ‘point’ of the triangle pointed towards, and what was on the ‘base’ side. This worked for me…

For the diagramming- Use the scrap paper- especially when it gets to resequencing the final order it makes it foolproof and probably quicker in the long run with lack of confusion!

And the motivation test- it’s been said a million times- learn the document. It’s not that hard, and you have to know it in the next stages. The only other thing is have a general awareness of distances between UK cities/European cities. Specifics aren’t needed but basic geographical knowledge is…


Stage two-

For the motivation paper here I say learn it, and learn it well! It’s a much tougher test than the one at stage one. If your maths is a bit rusty then do a few D/S/T practice questions. Half the challenge with these is knowing what to do with the data that you’re given.

I was nervous about the HR interview as I’d recently failed an interview for a part time job which I thought I should get no problem. To calm my nerves here I went back to one of the interviewers and asked for some feedback. She was lovely and gave me a couple of pointers but was basically positive and said ‘be yourself, you’ll be great.’ I’d also say make use of a careers advisory service if it’s available to you. I’m probably in the minority in that I’m still at university and have a lot of guidance readily available. I booked a meeting with a careers advisor and told her the outline (structured questions, situational, examples and skills). She gave me a lot of help with how I could talk about my own experiences and make them impressive. A piece of advice that can be passed on is how the British have a tendency to downplay our achievements and somehow make them sound negative- ‘I just did this…’ ‘I’ve only really got this…’ etc. Even if you don’t have a school or university careers service there will normally be a Connexions office nearby who I’m sure would help.

Literally write a list of the things you’re involved in and what skills you have gained from this. And believe it. There’s no point being in a sports club and saying that this makes you a good team player, improves judgement, gives you responsibility etc etc whatever, if you’re just saying it because it sounds good. Write it down- Where do the skills come from and give an example- you work well in the team because you don’t hog the ball, but you can recognise your chance and you will take it. You’ve been responsible for bringing water to a match, for boosting morale, whatever… You have to recognise your skills and be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm can get you anywhere :8

Useful posts:
-Keywords post on page 22 (Edvin76). Don’t just try and get them all in, but pick the ones that you know are relevant to the things you do. It’s just realising your own potential!
-Nokio’s massive post on page 35. It brings everything anyone has ever said about stage two all together.

Stage three-

I’m repeating posts again, but preparation is the key. You really can’t blag it. Have something to say when you’re asked how you’ve prepared. Know the aims of the company and know how it works, what it does, etc… Find an element that you’re interested in that you know you can talk about for hours (if only you were allowed… :} ). I was ready for a half hour rant about the sustainable aviation program that NATS support, but that’s because I’m from a family of environmental nuts and I was excited to find something that proved my dream career path wasn’t completely dedicated to destroying the world. The NATS Media Centre link will lead you to endless information which you will never ever be able to process.

I mentioned this in the above post- I was terrified about aircraft recognition and found the following useful (and also horribly addictive… beware!): http://www.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!/quiz/
Looking at endless pictures of Boeings vs. Airbus’ really works! It’s all in the tail and the winglets…!

Another thing I’d point you towards is an old thread: http://www.pprune.org/atc-issues/78751-got-nats-interview-read-here-first.html

This is good for more interview-specific information. However I’d also say don’t get too wrapped up in pprune accounts of people’s interviews. Yours will be different. Yours will be about you. Take time rereading the motivation material from stages one and two- you WILL be asked on it, and in detail, and it’s not multiple choice this time!

Lastly I’d say try and enjoy it. I was a grinning fool on the way home from stage two as it had been such a good day, despite not being confident about passing at all. Don’t be a quivering worrying wreck- you’re there to show the recruitment lot why you believe you can do the job- believe in yourself!

(I love cheese!)

Good luck!

Abi

Best post Ive seen on here. I couldnt sum it up any better. Motivation and preparation, if you know you've prepared for every possible question/scenario then nothing will phase you. Knowledge is power after all.

I was going to do the same but...
 

... I guess there's no need after Abi's great post. I subscribe to everything it has been said there... my experience was very similar.

Congratulations Abi! I also found out today that I passed stage 3, I wonder how Chris, Gareth and David did.

Cheers,

Luis

it's not exactly aiming at saving the world either, is it ? ;)

well done on passing! and thanks for sharing your experiances.
I was just wondering if you knew when you are due to start at the college? its just because i asked a few weeks ago about time scales and u said the interviews took around 2months, so was just interested to know how long after you pass you get a college date.

Also just out of interest how many control centres did you visit?

In my case, I did stage 1 on the 1st of August, stage 2 on the 5th of September and then waited until the 28th of October to have stage 3 in Belfast (I could have done it earlier down in Fareham/Swanwick but I was working abroad the other dates that suited me). As far as I know, the January course is full so they are talking about starting in college in April or July.

Regarding visits, I went to a couple of aerodromes, one NATS (Aldergrove) and one non-NATS (Belfast). I also went to have a look at the Scottish and Oceanic ACCs, which I found very interesting, especially comparing them to what I had seen at the aerodromes.

Hope this helps.

Stage 3
 

Does anyone know if a knock back is usually a phone call too? Or is that an email?

Ezy

David checking in...

I've also got a pass! Congratulations to Abi and Luis as well! Like Abi had said, do preparation... And if you've thought out an approach and you consider everything, don't let yourself be totally dissuaded, but don't stick to a bad plan of action either.

Besides, one question I just had to answer, "I'm sorry, but I don't know". Obviously didn't fail me anyway! :)

And see what Abi says about being a grinning fool on the way back from Stage 2? It's true! My last comment to the interviewers was that this had been the only application process that I've actually enjoyed. And even if I didn't pass, I'd enjoyed the experience.

So glad you guys are through too!

It's worth adding- the three of us (and hopefully Gareth and Chris from our stage three yesterday) are living proof that it doesn't matter if you completely mess up the group exercise- I don't think we properly 'landed' a single plane... However, we worked together pretty well- there was a bit of laughing, a lot of concentration and no conflict!

And Roar... We have to go back to Swanwick to do our medical (the closest dates up for this are next week), and then you'll get a college entrance date. I don't graduate until June so I'll be there July at the earliest! I'd visited Manchester tower and ACC, Southampton tower and Carlisle tower (though not sure how much Carlisle counts :E)

ATCT visit
 

Hi,

Is it easy to get a visit to Gatwick Tower?
Can someone inform me about some contact or the how to get in touch with them and set an appointment for the visit?

Thanks everyone!

Chris

:):):):):):):):):):):)

Just had my email... Passed Stage 2!!!!

I actually really enjoyed it and for the first time, I came from an interview with really good feelings. Wasn't that confident about the computer tests, though!!!

Anyway, will trawl back through here for some recommendations for preparing for stage 3. Can anyone recommend some literature for me to buy..

Thanks.

Good info Here on the NATS recruitment process.

tests
 

HI to ALL FORUM FELLOWS !
I'm now reading through this thread and have just found the post regarding those practice tests you (Nokio) got (4 Basic checking tests, 4 Diagramming, and 4 spatial awareness). I would be very grateful if you could send the tests to [email protected]!
Also, any other tests or preparation materials would be very much appreciated as my Stage 1 is due to take place on Monday, the 3rd of November!!!

You'll find it said a few times- Graham Duke's 'Air Traffic Control' has everything you could need and is interesting too- I think it's on Amazon (9th edition I think!)

Good luck for stage three!

Abi

In answer to my own question
 

a rejection from stage 3 is via email :-(

Oh well

Locations
 

I am new to the site and will be coming from the US to take these tests. (I am a UK citizen). I know my first step is in London in Dec. But where are the locations that Step 2 and 3 are located? I am in the process of reading the 80 some odd pages of this thread and haven't found this answer yet, sorry if I haven't reached that post yet...:O

Also, is DST the only math that is on Step 1? math isn't my strongest subject so Im a little worried.

Thank you for that information! I was an ATC in the US Army. I am excited to move back to the UK! I have bought a Nintendo DS and almost all their educational games to help me for this test. I feel being educated in the US is a disadvantage to me so I have to practice that much more to pass! I am learning the packet they emailed also. I will stay with family in Swindon and pray I can get through this in one piece!!!:ouch:

I hope I can get through the selection process in 1 piece. As for Swindon, hey as long as I am back in the UK, I will be happy!!! I have been in the US for way too long!!!

Aircraft
 

Hi I was wondering if you might be willing to email me the ipod tracks/pictures of the aircraft names and types you learned for stage one?
Are there many aircraft questions concerning aircraft?
Regards
Christa
:O

Christa,

I believe that most people on this thread will tell you exactly the same thing that I am about to:

Learn the whole pre-reading document for stage 1 - including all the aircraft. Even if you don't get asked about certain aircraft at this stage, it is very good practice should you get through to Stage two and eventually (fingers crossed) the college.

...and it is hardly fair play if you know the answers before you start now, is it?:=

Best of luck with the learning and stage 1 though - learn that document!:ok:

Help!!!
 

Hello,
I am new to this site and not quite sure where I should post this?!
I am about to do stage one on Monday, I have been trying to download the fact sheet that NATS sent me but I can't get it open? I have had friends and family trying to open it for a month now, still no luck. Does anybody have any suggestions??
I have done the test online already and I have the sheet test materials sheet, it's the practice materials sheet 2, I can't open!!! Arrrggghhhhh

Anything would be a great help..... :\

Check that you have Adobe Reader installed... This is what reads the file. Otherwise I've no suggestions- it opens up in my browser right away!

RMCJ,

.....You've been trying to open the document for a month? Did you contact my colleagues in Recruitment for help, or for them to send you a copy in another format?

BW,

....and I, of course, would be one of them....if you know the document, it doesn't matter how many questions you get asked. :ok: